“I wouldn’t,” he said as he pulled back. “I’d do anything for our daughter. Even go up against a Hollywood sex god.”

When he saw the sappy look on Riley’s face, he knew he’d said the right thing. He was still feeling a million feet tall after being on the receiving end of one of Riley’s beautiful smiles as he walked down the corridor to the bathroom. Half an hour to make himself look less cowboy and more responsible dad, and he’d be ready to go.

He showered quickly and shaved as close as he could, and then he stood uncertainly in front of the closet he shared with Riley. His side was jeans, one suit, a couple of shirts. What would Riley wear? He’d probably dress in one of those damn suits of his. Gently, Jack ran his hands over the sleeve of the nearest one, then sniffed it. The scent of Riley was on everything, and he couldn’t get enough of it.

Time to act like a grown up, he told himself. He was a horseman but he also ran a successful business. Decision made, he pulled out his only suit jacket and pants, and he dressed quickly before he could change his mind. He was fiddling with the tie when Riley came back in the bedroom. Glancing in the mirror, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, and he stopped with the tie.

“What are you wearing?” he asked incredulously. Riley was in dark jeans and a button-down shirt. Jack turned to face his husband.

Riley shook his head. “I could ask the same thing.”

Jack went into defensive mode. “I wanted to show them I wasn’t just some cowboy—I didn’t want to let you down.” Damn. He never meant to add that last part.

Riley crossed the room and placed his hands on Jack’s arms. “And I didn’t want to come over as being up myself.” He rested his forehead against Jack’s and chuckled under his breath. “What are we doing here?” he asked wryly.

“Being something we’re not.” Jack closed his eyes. “They’ll see right through it, won’t they?”

“Change for me,” Riley said quickly. He released his hold on Jack, then rummaged in the closet before pulling out dark jeans and a white button-down. Finally he dragged out Jack’s best boots and stood back.

Jack considered the clothes, then looked at Riley. Copying his husband’s actions, Jack located the suit he loved Riley in most and a shirt, then added a tie to the pile.

“Change for me,” Jack repeated. “Let’s be who we are from the start.”

Riley stole a quick kiss, and then in a rush of skin and curses, the two men stood next to each other in the mirror. Jack never grew tired of seeing Riley, but looking at them side by side, with Riley in the dark suit, his blond hair short and spiked in a tidy style, immaculate and cool, and him in his jeans, his face smooth but his dark hair a little more unstructured, Jack had only one thought in his head:

We fit.

The nerves grew as they left the Double D, and neither of them spoke as Riley drove his 4x4 down the potholed road that led to the exit of the ranch. Jack vowed that this time next week those damn holes would be fixed after all these years. Riley stopped the car at the junction and crossed his hands on the steering wheel.

“You okay?” Jack asked, concerned.

“Yeah. No.” Riley sounded as confused and concerned as Jack felt. “What if we don’t find anyone, what if no one wants to carry a child for us, because of who we are?”

Jack wanted to join in with the questioning. After all, it was only what he felt in his own head, but instead, hearing Riley vocalize the same thing gave Jack the perspective to see things more clearly.

“What’s not to like?” he began. “And Riley, if we can’t do it this way, then we can adopt, whatever, but we’ll always have Hayley.”

Riley nodded, and then after a short pause he took the turn toward the city. Only when the Dallas skyline came into view did they begin to talk again. This time, instead of worries and concerns, they began to talk about possibilities.

Jack relaxed back in his seat as tension seeped away.

After all, what could go wrong?

Chapter 2

The Walker Clinic was through a plain door in an unassuming building nestled in amongst other buildings that all looked the same. Riley was more than just a little thankful they had left with at least half an hour to spare to find both the building and parking in this residential area.

“You okay? Riley? Talk to me,” Jack asked. Riley looked at Jack and only half heard what his husband had said. He stumbled up the curb outside the clinic and realized he wasn’t looking where he was going. What the hell had happened to him? He was the composed one this morning, the one who calmed Jack down, and now suddenly it hit him what he was doing. And hit him for all the wrong reasons. What if the place needed background checks that went back more than just what Riley was doing now? What if they found out about…?

“Sorry?” he asked carefully. He needed to calm the hell down if he was going to come over as responsible-Riley as opposed to freaked-out-Riley.

Jack frowned. “You look really out of it.” He grabbed Riley’s hand and pulled him to a halt just outside the door. “What’s worrying you?”

“Nothing,” Riley lied.

Jack leaned in and his voice held a note of warning. “Riley, do we have to go back to the car and talk about this? Something is clearly getting to you, and you need to tell me what it is.”

“Jack, I just…”

“Look, if you’re not ready, if you want it to be you, whatever is going on in your head, we can handle. We can wait.”

Riley was horrified. “No,” he said quickly. “I don’t want to wait.” He swung to face Jack fully, then cradled Jack’s face tenderly. He knew Jack loved the fact that Riley was okay with PDAs, and Riley wanted to see a smile return to Jack’s worried expression. They were right outside the clinic, but Riley didn’t want Jack going in with doubts about how Riley felt.

“I want to go in, like we planned, tell them we want a baby, do everything we can for us to be dads again.” Jack smiled at him and Riley’s heart melted. Suddenly he wasn’t ready to share his fears with his husband simply because he didn’t want to ruin Jack’s day. This was special. “Sometimes it’s hard to believe what we are doing.” Jack opened his mouth to talk, but Riley silenced him with a kiss. “Only because it often feels surreal to me that we are together, committed, with Hayley…” He deliberately trailed off so Jack could draw his own conclusions about why the nerves had set in. Jack placed his hands on Riley’s hips and helped himself to another kiss at the same time. With a smile, Riley backed away, and then they finally rang the bell at the door. And waited.

The man who opened the door, five eight with a shock of white-blond hair, smiled at them, then ushered them in.

“I’m Marcus,” he introduced himself quickly. “You must be Mr and Mr Campbell-Hayes.” They shook hands, and Riley and Jack both nodded at his words. “It’s so nice to meet Dallas royalty,” he said with a grin. Riley contemplated being offended, but Marcus was so damn small and cute that Riley didn’t have the heart to say a word. A quick glance at Jack had him seeing similar thoughts pasted on his husband’s open expression. Marcus led them through a waiting area with plush sofas and low lighting and through an unmarked door. The room they walked into looked like something out of a showroom for cozy. Sofas, a large walnut desk, and shelves of books made the room inviting, and Riley felt the stress of the last few minutes slip away. They were safe in here. No one else sat with them, and no one appeared to be judging them.

“Please take a seat,” Marcus said softly. “Would you like coffee? A soft drink?”

“Coffee,” Jack said immediately.

“Water,” Riley added.

Marcus disappeared through the door, and Riley watched him go with fascination. He was slim and had this sexy wiggle as he walked. Dressed in an expensive suit, he was all kinds of cute.